Wheel carrier

Abstract

A wheel carrier mounted on a rear axle body of a vehicle, which wheel carrier comprises a supporting plate and a bearing plate. The supporting plate coincides with a “virtual king-pin axis” and the properties of the supporting plate are such that the supporting plate may bend around the “virtual king-pin axis” in the area of a flexible supporting section. The bearing plate comprises a section with such properties that the section is allowed to deflect in a lateral direction of the vehicle. When a lateral force F lateral and a brake force F brake are applied to the wheel carrier, e.g. during cornering and braking, the properties of the supporting plate and the bearing plate create lateral force under steer and brake force under steer.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A wheel carrier mounted on a rear axle body, which wheel carrier comprises a supporting plate and a bearing plate, the supporting plate is attached to the rear axle body and the bearing plate, and the supporting plate extend in an substantially transversal direction of the vehicle, and a flexible supporting section is provided in an area where the supporting plate coincides with a “virtual king-pin axis” of the wheel carrier, wherein the properties of the supporting plate are such that the supporting plate bends around the virtual “king-pin axis” in the area of the flexible supporting section when a lateral force F lateral  or brake force F brake  at a tire contact patch with ground is applied to the wheel carrier, the bearing plate comprises a first bearing plate section and a second bearing plate section with such properties that the second bearing plate section is allowed to deflect in a lateral direction of the vehicle, when a lateral cornering force F lateral  or a brake force F brake  is applied to the carrier at the tire contact patch with ground, thus the properties of the supporting plate and the bearing plate achieve lateral force under steer and brake force under steer for the wheel mounted on the wheel carrier. 
     
     
       2. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the first bearing plate section is provided in an area around a center of a wheel bearing and the second bearing plate section is provided in front of the first bearing plate section, which first bearing section, in a lateral direction of the vehicle, is provided with stiff material properties and the second bearing section is provided with less stiff material properties than the first bearing section. 
     
     
       3. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the first and second bearing plate sections, in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, are both provided with stiff material properties. 
     
     
       4. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the second bearing plate section is provided with one or more apertures that create less stiff properties in a lateral direction of the vehicle than the first bearing plate section. 
     
     
       5. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the second bearing section has a same wall thickness or thinner wall thickness than the first bearing section. 
     
     
       6. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the supporting plate comprises a first supporting section and a second supporting section, and properties of the first supporting section and the second supporting section are more stiff than properties of the flexible supporting section. 
     
     
       7. Wheel carrier according to  claim 6 , wherein the first supporting section and/or the second supporting section of the supporting plate are provided with one or more recesses and/or apertures. 
     
     
       8. Wheel carrier according to  claim 7 , wherein the first supporting section of the supporting plate is attached to a first supporting flange, and the first supporting flange is attached to the first bearing plate section and the first supporting section, and the second supporting section of the supporting plate is attached to a second supporting flange, and the second supporting flange is attached to the second supporting section and to the rear axle body. 
     
     
       9. Wheel carrier according to  claim 7 , wherein the first bearing plate section is attached to the first supporting section of the supporting plate and the second bearing plate section is rigidly attached to the rear axle body. 
     
     
       10. Wheel carrier according to  claim 6 , wherein the first supporting section of the supporting plate is attached to a first supporting flange, and the first supporting flange is attached to the first bearing plate section and the first supporting section, and the second supporting section of the supporting plate is attached to a second supporting flange, and the second supporting flange is attached to the second supporting section and to the rear axle body. 
     
     
       11. Wheel carrier according to  claim 10 , wherein the first bearing plate section is attached to the first supporting section of the supporting plate and the second bearing plate section is rigidly attached to the rear axle body. 
     
     
       12. Wheel carrier according to  claim 6 , wherein the first bearing plate section is attached to the first supporting section of the supporting plate and the second bearing plate section is rigidly attached to the rear axle body. 
     
     
       13. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the flexible supporting section of the supporting plate is provided with one or more recesses along the “virtual king-pin axis”. 
     
     
       14. Wheel carrier according to  claim 1 , wherein the supporting plate and the bearing plate are manufactured of sheet metal, forged metal or die casted metal. 
     
     
       15. A rear axle body, comprising a wheel carrier mounted on the rear axle body, which wheel carrier comprises a supporting plate and a bearing plate, the supporting plate is attached to the rear axle body and the bearing plate, and the supporting plate extend in an substantially transversal direction of the vehicle, and a flexible supporting section is provided in an area where the supporting plate coincides with a “virtual king-pin axis” of the wheel carrier, wherein the properties of the supporting plate are such that the supporting plate bends around the virtual “king-pin axis” in the area of the flexible supporting section when a lateral force F lateral  or brake force F brake  at a tire contact patch with ground is applied to the wheel carrier, the bearing plate comprises a first bearing plate section and a second bearing plate section with such properties that the second bearing plate section is allowed to deflect in a lateral direction of the vehicle, when a lateral cornering force F lateral  or a brake force F brake  is applied to the carrier at the tire contact patch with ground, thus the properties of the supporting plate and the bearing plate achieve lateral force under steer and brake force under steer for the wheel mounted on the wheel carrier. 
     
     
       16. The rear axle body according to  claim 15 , wherein the first bearing plate section is provided in an area around a center of a wheel bearing and the second bearing plate section is provided in front of the first bearing plate section, which first bearing section, in a lateral direction of the vehicle, is provided with stiff material properties and the second bearing section is provided with less stiff material properties than the first bearing section. 
     
     
       17. The rear axle body according to  claim 15 , wherein the first and second bearing plate sections, in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, are both provided with stiff material properties. 
     
     
       18. The rear axle body according to  claim 15 , wherein the second bearing plate section is provided with one or more apertures that create less stiff properties in a lateral direction of the vehicle than the first bearing plate section. 
     
     
       19. The rear axle body according to  claim 15 , wherein the second bearing section has a same wall thickness or thinner wall thickness than the first bearing section. 
     
     
       20. The rear axle body according to  claim 15 , wherein the supporting plate comprises a first supporting section and a second supporting section, and properties of the first supporting section and the second supporting section are more stiff than properties of the flexible supporting section.